Loving the challenges and changes of life's second half

25 Not-Too-Scary Life Questions Worth Asking Yourself

There are lots of dig-deep-and-bleed lists of life questions worth asking yourself, but I’m not always in the mood to be making a searching moral inventory. If you’re not either, but would still like the benefits that self-reflection brings, here are 25 not-too-scary questions to get you started. (If you prefer, you can download it here.)

What shapes our lives are the questions we ask, refuse to ask, or never think to ask.

Sam Keen

What is your favourite quote? Why?

What is the best compliment you have ever received?

What is the title of the last book you read that you absolutely loved?

What are you afraid of?

When do you have trouble saying ‘No’?

What are you curious about?

What is your greatest source of joy?

What were your favourite activities when you were a child?

What is your most prized possession?

What are you known for or would like to be known for?

Who or what are you grateful for?

What would you like to stop doing?

What words and/or phrases do you use very frequently?

What does being creative mean to you? Are you creative?

What steals your serenity?

What kinds of people energize you and what kinds of people drain you?

When in your life have you felt at a dead end?

When do you feel amazing?

If you won a lottery, what would you do with the money? Assume the win was big enough that you easily took care of family and friends.

When are you most yourself?

What life detour have you taken that ultimately proved to be beneficial?

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

If you could go to one conference or event, what would it be about?

Finish these sentence starters:
I used to be a woman who….
I am now a woman who….
I want to be a woman who….

Ask and answer your own question!

Share Your Answers in Tribe Stories

Contributing selected tidbits of your personal story to the Tribe Stories section of this site is an act of clarification, connection, and generosity.

Clarify what you believe and what you value in your responses to the questions you choose to answer. Writing responses that others will see encourages you to think more deeply.

Connectwith your tribe, giving and receiving support and encouragement through the comments you leave and receive.

Recognize that you are generous; that sharing pieces of your story may inspire and sustain someone else.

How to Share in 3 Simple Steps

Choose the questions you want to answer from this list.Choose as many or as few questions as you wish.

Write just the question numbers and your answers in as much or as little detail as you wish. Send to karen@profoundjourney.com. Or, if you don’t want to write and you live in North America, send me your phone number. I will take your answers over the phone, and will write the responses for you.

Decide how you want to appear on the site. First name only? Full name? A nickname? Decide what image you will use above your questions and answers.Your photo? Something you are interested in? I’m happy to help you find something perfect.

You will be able to review everything before it’s published.You can also add to your story at any time in any form you wish —video, collage, a poem, a painting….
Thank you for taking the time and having the courage to become a known member of our tribe. We welcome you!

Which question is your favourite? Why? Did it surprise, reassure, or inform you? Please share your response in the comments below.

6 comments

These questions are great! I guess my favorite question has to be number 24. Why? Well, I suppose it’s because I never really thought about my life like that; I used to be, I am now and I want to be. I just went about the business of living my life without considering with any depth where I came from, where I am now and where I want to go as a woman. So you could say this question surprised me, but in a wonderful way. I will be submitting a Tribe Story so you will have to wait for the answer to that one. 😉

Hi Susan, I just saw your tribe story in my inbox! Yes! Thanks so much for agreeing to become a known member of our tribe. I look forward to publishing your tribe story (your answers to some of the 25 questions) in next week’s posts. I’ll be in touch to see what you’d like to use as your image.
And thank you again for starting what I hope will become an avalanche of responses from members of the Profound Journey tribe!

Hi Karen, that sounds good I will look forward to talking to you. In the meantime I will look for an image. Is there a certain size I should look for? Maximum MB? I hope there will be an avalanche of responses too! This website is a fantastic resource for women. =)

I have decided to answer a few questions in short over here (it comes with my mug shot, I believe :-)) and will answer the “more scary” ones of your recent post in depth in a future email. Hope that is OK. Feel free to copy and paste elsewhere (and grab any photo of my blog also).

What is the best compliment you have ever received?
For good or for bad, that I am “driven”. 🙂

What are you afraid of?
Failing.

When do you have trouble saying ‘No’?
When people, especially friends, ask for a hand or a favor.

What are you curious about?
The world and its wildlife, scenery and cultures

What is your greatest source of joy?
Feeling free and interacting with wildlife

What is your most prized possession?
My diaries, which I have been writing since I was eight. (30+ years)

What are you known for or would like to be known for?
Successfully living an alternative life, despite social conventions.

Who or what are you grateful for?
Being able to be me.

What would you like to stop doing?
Stressing about things.

What kinds of people energize you and what kinds of people drain you?
Positive people and chatting with a good friend (on the phone these days) energizes me, complainers and “spoiled” and “entitled” and “ignorant/oblivious” people drain me.

When do you feel amazing?
When I do something I thoroughly enjoy.

If you won a lottery, what would you do with the money? Assume the win was big enough that you easily took care of family and friends.
Visit some places that I cannot afford right now (Antarctica, African safari parks) and donate a lot to animal organizations that need it.

When are you most yourself?
When I am by myself on some adventure.

What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
Do what makes you happy.

Finish these sentence starters:
I used to be a woman who doubted that everything was possible.
I am now a woman who makes some impossible things possible.
I want to be a woman who will die without regrets.

Thanks so much for doing this, Liesbet. I’ve copied these answers and will include them as well as the ones you intend to do, in a tribe story post about you. But I’ll also leave them here. No harm. Maybe it will inspire others to also respond.
Thanks again.